Chapter Twenty-Nine
Unexpected Reunion and the Battle Rages
The next morning Stefan was ready before dawn, coordinates programmed into the GPS and maps packed as a backup. Food and supplies were in the insulated backpack. The other items, including a first aid kit, were stashed in a separate pack.
At a light rap on the door, Stefan called out, “It’s open.”
Bruce and Owen strode into the room. “Let’s get going.” Bruce turned back toward the door. “We’re burning daylight.
“Do we have a plan?” Stefan asked.
“Yeah, we’ll go with your idea of splitting up while you stay in our minds. If either of us finds anything or runs into a problem, you’ll know it and signal the others of the situation.” Bruce passed under the door frame.
“We should be able to cover a lot more ground that way,” Stefan pointed out as he started to gather their gear.
“That’s true, but…”
“Bruce, you got a problem?”
“It bothers me to have someone else in my head, but I agree your idea makes the most sense. Still, don’t like the odds. I’ll take the Mutitjulu Water Hole at the base of the Uluru.” He jabbed his finger to the area on the map spread across the table.
Owen grinned pleasantly, everyone aware that Bruce would rather be giving the orders than taking them. “Since I know the area and have been on the Uluru before, I’ll explore the caves on the Eastern side of the rock.”
“Well, I guess that leaves me the path to the top of the rock,” Stefan said, taking another look at the map before folding it up and putting it in the backpack.
“It’s a steep eight-hundred-meter climb. Sure you’re up to it, vamp?” The corners of Bruce’s lips turned up slightly.
“Yeah, I think I can handle it,” he shot back.
“There is a chain handhold edging the entire path, so you can lean on that should you feel weak,” Bruce teased, slapping Stefan on the back.
“I’ll remember that. One more question. Have you always been a control freak?” Stefan grinned at Bruce.
He did a double take at Stefan and returned the grin. “Only when it’s necessary.”
“It’s not necessary here—old man.” Stefan straightened, grasping him by the shoulder.
Bruce glared at his shoulder and back at Stefan. “Understood.”
Owen looked from one to the other and shook his head. “Kids, it’s time to go.”
The earlier tension turned to cautious camaraderie. Grabbing up the rest of the gear, they walked down the hallway to the elevators. Bruce put his hand on the wall, and the door slid open.
Outside the hotel, the sun peeked over the horizon. The sky was clear blue with no hint of the sporadic and violent storms that suddenly inundated the area this time of year. Itjanu, as the local aboriginal people referred to it.
Luke, the guide provided by Trin, waited patiently in the car as they threw their gear in the trunk and climbed into the vehicle.
The driver turned onto Lasseter Highway. “Uluru is just a few miles up the highway, mates. Won’t take but a few minutes.”
Dropping them off at the closest point motorized vehicles were allowed, Luke asked, “Do you want me to play guide for you?”
“We’re okay on our own. Just wait in the car.”
He nodded knowingly, slunk down in the seat, and pulled his cap over his eyes. “Have it your way. I’ll take a nap.” Luke hesitated for a moment, then added, “If that’s okay with you, mate?”
“That’s fine,” Bruce said absently as he surveyed the surrounding area.
Owen pointed out the different areas they’d agreed to.
“When you get to the top, keep in mind the wind can really whip up and blow you right off the rock,” Owen warned. “Hey, Stefan, you listening to me?”
“What? Oh, yeah, watch the wind.”
“Climbing the Uluru is generally closed to the public when high winds are recorded at the top. Stay alert, would you?” Owen shook his head and stared at Stefan intently.
“I got it, okay? Any idea where the Book may be hidden?”
“Tristian and I discussed that at great length. Magic is probably protecting it. The likely places will be in the caves or at the waterhole where magic could disguise the Book, perhaps making it appear part of the landscape. That’s where you are at a disadvantage. Owen and I can sense magic; you’ll walk right by it.” Bruce snickered.
“Oh, so that’s why I got the harsh walk up the rock. You guys don’t think it’s there and don’t want to hike up the trail,” Stefan said a bit testily. “I said it’s been a long time since I’ve used magic, not that I couldn’t.”
“Gee, he’s not as slow as he looks,” Bruce teased, sliding a glance over at Owen. “I stand corrected.”
“Fast enough to have saved your mate when you had no idea where she was. Just saying,” Stefan shot back.
“Touché. I am indebted to you.”
“Thought so.” Stefan swaggered a few steps.
Owen rolled his eyes and ducked as Stefan turned and threw one of the backpacks in their direction. It smacked Bruce in the chest, making him take a couple of steps backward.
“Hey, you’re the self-described nature boy.” A laugh rumbled low in Bruce’s throat.
Stefan ignored him. “Let’s separate and get going. Once we are out of each other’s sight, try sending your thoughts to me.”
Hey, Stef, you there? Bruce queried Stefan a few minutes later.
I hear you, Stefan confirmed from the top of the rock. Vampire speed wasn’t taken into account when Bruce gave the assignments. Stefan snickered.
Okay, Stef, can you see out across the lake? Something is moving, transforming, between the rock and water.
Yes, are you causing it? Stefan’s words wafted through Bruce’s mind.
Demon abilities are amazing, aren’t they? But no, it’s not me. I’ll explain later. You’d better come round here. Now! Owen is already on his way. Stay a few lengths behind me once you’re here. No quick movement. Distraction can be deadly. Got it?
Yeah, I get it. Be there momentarily. Stefan’s words reverberated louder than necessary in Bruce’s mind.
Behind Bruce, a snake slithered onto land, blurring, and changed into what appeared more goddess like in her tight flame-red gown and flowing raven hair, than demon.
She leveled her gaze at Bruce and raised a brow. “Long way from home?” She glided closer, stopping in front, and leaned slightly to the side of Bruce so she had an unobstructed view of Stefan and Owen.
“Brought friends as well. How nice. You should have let me know you were coming. I could have welcomed you properly to my territory,” she mused. “You know protocol requires such things.” She snorted quietly and waved her hand, smiling weakly as if to dismiss the thought. “Oh, I forgot. You never grasped the concept such things might apply to you.”
“Nice to see you too, Lilith, my queen. How have you been?” Bruce bowed slightly, his hand making a long sweeping arc in front of him. His gaze slid from hers to the ground as a sign of respect.
“Well. Very well. Thank you.”
Bruce reached for her hand and brought it to his lips. “I’m sorry if I have violated protocol and common courtesy. My friends are Stefan Talltree and my trusted adviser, Owen Brannon, whom you already know. Since I didn’t know how to locate you, I couldn’t send a request that you would have refused. I’d have come anyway, landing myself in more trouble than a mere unannounced appearance.”
“Still the arrogant, stubborn bastard I, ah, remember.” She trailed off with a look that could vaporize molten lava at thirty paces.
“That’s me.”
Her eyes narrowed as they swept the shoreline. “Where’s that little witch of yours? Don’t tell me she let you come Down Under without her.” Lilith moved closer and laid a delicate hand on his shoulder, letting it slide sinuously down his arm. “Remember when the whole world was our playground?
“That, my lady, is ancient history. Angie’s whereabouts are none of your concern.” His voice was viciously polite as he casually brushed her hand aside. “But thanks for asking.”
“Oh, but it is. Hello, Owen. You’re looking ruggedly handsome, as usual.”
“Thank you, my queen. Your beauty transcends your age.” Owen too lowered his eyes to the ground, then turned his head away as a smirk slid across his lips.
“Your time and service to the Lord of the Western Hemisphere has caused you to forget your manners.” Without warning, she sent a blue electric arc from her palm directly at Owen. He sidestepped it, slamming into Stefan, as some sort of invisible force field bounced it back in her direction.
“Try that again, and we’ll show you bad manners,” Bruce growled menacingly. “Your royal blood is no match for my experience on so many levels, so let’s not go there.”
“Touché.” Unruffled, Lilith shifted her gaze to Stefan in a slow thorough appraisal. “Who’s this handsome young stud?” She paused, tapping her finger against her chin thoughtfully. Her eyebrows rose slightly and her eyes rounded before her expression became unreadable. “Keeping company with vampires these days, Bruce? Now that surprises me. They are a bit unpredictable, as I recall, but so sensual.”
“The company I keep is also none of your business. What should concern you is the sudden increase in the demonic population in your territory. Not my unannounced arrival and traveling companions.”
Bruce’s words of wisdom imparted prior to this trip came flooding through Stefan’s mind. It is a delicate balance, fear and respect, obedience and free will. No vampire, demon, or witch respects compassion if interpreted as weakness. If you find the balance, you’ll command loyalty and respect. If not, challenge and death await you. That is the world we live in and the one you now occupy. You’d be wise to learn to play the game. Not unlike the vampire creed.
At the time, Stefan thought he was referring to physical confrontations. But the scene playing out now was a psychological battle of major proportions but no less deadly. Bruce seemed very well armed in this situation, more than Stefan ever thought possible after seeing him and Tristian go at it.
Lilith’s long silence hung ominously in the electrified air around them.
Bruce shifted and tilted his head as his eyes whirled orange and foreboding. “Should I take your silence as an indication that you’re entertaining the idea of joining forces with Baltizar? In such a case, I would be forced to destroy you where you stand.”
“Threats do not endear you to me. No, I don’t intend to assist Baltizar in his quest for freedom. I have heard that you are here seeking the Book of Shadows hidden within the Uluru. You would know of such things only through your witch’s family.” She watched him with mild interest, then she snapped her fingers. “Or have you offered sanctuary to Baltizar’s disgraced demon?”
“On a fishing expedition? You’ll not get anything from me until I’m sure where your loyalty lies.”
“Come now, Bruce. We’re selfish creatures. I’ll not endanger what I have built for myself. Like you, I’m not willing to share with Baltizar or anyone else.”
“You’ll help us?”
“Oh, I didn’t say that. If you’re unsuccessful in locating the Books, Baltizar gains his freedom, destroying you and mankind and imprisoning magickind in the process. The rest of us would be at his mercy. Should he learn that I had assisted you, I would suffer a fate worse than death. So no, I won’t help, but I’ll not deter you either. You are welcome in my territory.”
“Fair enough.”
As she turned to walk away, the earth beneath their feet erupted like festering boils, ejecting gray-skinned demon creatures with purple scars, snarling through their sharp, pointed teeth, turning their black, lifeless eyes on Stefan and his group.
At Lilith’s direction, the trio scrambled up the sheer rock wall to the protection of a cave. Standing at the cave entrance, Bruce raised his gaze to the heavens, extending his arms to the sky and causing fire to rain down, incinerating everything in its path.
With a wave of Lilith’s hand, the lake froze. Lightning bolts slashed the evening sky, crashing into the frozen lake, propelling shards of the lake’s frozen holy water skyward. Directed by Bruce’s hand, the shards impaled the dark demons who’d taken flight. Screams of pain reverberated off the steep rock walls as the demons exploded, their black ash falling into the lake.
Stefan leaned from the mouth of the cave, launching his wrist arrows soaked in the holy water, destroying those remaining above ground. Owen wove a spell creating a barrier above the parched earth, preventing further penetration by the underworld.
Too late, Stefan screamed a warning, flattening his body against the cave wall. The stench of burning flesh and sulfur permeated the air as an impaled demon flamed into the mouth of the cave and exploded.
The hot black ash seared the left side of Owen’s face, Bruce’s right forearm, and incinerated Lilith’s gown. The battle was over almost before it began. Dark demons were no match for the combined powers of Bruce, Lilith, and Owen or the weaponry wielded by Stefan.
“That’s quite a show you put on,” Stefan said, nodding toward the others slumped against the sides of the cave, the battle and use of magic having taken its toll on their bodies.
Bruce eyed Stefan warily. “What the hell do you carry in that coat? Was that in your backpack?”
Stefan shrugged and opened the front of his full-length black leather duster, now scarred by the hot ash. He revealed a large assortment of weapons tucked inside the pockets and strapped to his forearms and thighs. “Oh, just a few things left over from a former profession. I brought them along just in case.”
“How’d you get those on the plane?”
“A bit of vampire persuasion,” Stefan said with a smug expression. “Now—the sooner we get back to this scavenger hunt, the sooner we find that damn Book and get the hell out of here. I don’t like leaving the women alone.”
“I’ll leave you men to your task,” Lilith said. “I believe a bath and new attire are required.”
“Beautiful as always,” Bruce said smoothly.
Hours later as dusk fell, the group was no closer to finding the Book. Bruce leaned against the rock wall and sipped from a bottle of water. “Time to head back to the hotel and get some rest. We can start the search again at day break with a fresh perspective.” He rubbed his eyes with his thumb and index finger. “I think we’re all beat.”
Owen nodded in agreement and started back toward the car.
“That will give the demons more time to find the Book. You two head back to the hotel. I can continue searching a while longer,” Stefan said doggedly. “Vampire endurance, you know.”
“And what happens if you run into the entourage of demons looking for the Book? Alone? Not a good strategy. We stick together,” Bruce said in a tone that allowed no argument. “Where do you suggest we search in the dark, Stefan?”
Bruce leaned his hand on the hard surface and shoved up to an upright position.
Stefan and Owen stared in astonishment as a small square in the rock wall behind Bruce glowed in the dusk, then melted away to reveal a thin crevice. “Great place to start,” Stefan said incredulously.
Bruce turned to see what the others were staring at, then hesitantly reached out, touching the area around the fissure. He snapped his fingers and a ball of light floated close to the fracture, illuminating the area. Peering inside, Bruce reached in and brought out a book. After flipping a few pages, he handed the book to Stefan.
“Yep, this is it,” Stefan said, tucking the Book inside his duster.
“Well, well, it looks like we beat Baltizar’s demons but not by much,” Bruce said, putting his hand on Stefan’s shoulder, jerking his chin toward a line of bouncing lights off in the distance. Bruce threw up an invisibility spell as the three of them walked to the car, climbed in, and disappeared into the inky night.
Trin met them in the hotel lobby. “I’ve taken the liberty of leaving dinner in your rooms. Figured you’d be tired after your search. Any luck?”
“Thank you. About what we expected,” Stefan said, leaving Trin to draw his own conclusions.
“Anyone feel like joining me for a beer downstairs after we’ve cleaned up and eaten?” Owen wanted to know.
“I’ll pass. But thanks for the invite. I want to talk to Brandy, make sure everything is all right.” Stefan went straight to his room. He hadn’t been able to shake the feeling that something was terribly wrong. He tapped the phone’s screen and touched in Brandy’s number. It immediately rolled into voicemail. That’s strange. She usually picks up on the first ring. Maybe she’s on another call. He left a message, then scrolled down to her parents’ number and touched the call icon.